He bolted upright, gasping for breath. A cold sweat coated his body as he rested his head in his hands. It was still dark out; at least an hour before their scheduled wake up time. He lifted his head and looked over at his partner, Nora. She was splayed out on her sleeping mat, her pajamas contorted from her frequent tossing and turning. A stuffed sloth lay in the crook of her arm. She was smiling and drool was running down her chin. He sighed, stood up, and headed to the bathroom.

Cool water ran from the faucet and into the sink. He cupped his hands underneath the faucet and let the water pool in his hands for a moment before splashing it on his face. He shivered as the water ran down the back of his neck. He looked into the mirror and stared at his reflection. His long black and pink hair was a mess and tufts of it stood up in random places. His pink eyes look tired and there were bags underneath his eyes. His eyes wondered to his chest and to the large claw marks that ran from his right pec down to his abdomen. He sighed again before turning off the faucet, drying his face, and walking out of the bathroom.

"Good morning Ren!" Nora whisper shouted, a gigantic smile plastered on her face. She was dressed in her white shirt, black jacket, and pink skirt. Her smile faltered but never left her face. "Did you have that nightmare again?" He nodded his head. Nora poked his nose and said, "Boop." That put a smile on his face. Nora held up his clothes; a green and black silk tailcoat and white pants. "You'll probably need these today. I mean you can try fighting Grimm in your pajama's, I certainly wouldn't complain, but I think the professors wouldn't approve." Ren took his clothes and returned to the bathroom. He could hear Nora humming as he got dressed. He tied his hair back in a ponytail before exiting the bathroom again.

Nora was waiting for him outside of the bathroom, their backpacks in her hands and her grenade launcher slung across her back. She giggled as she tossed him his bag. He slipped it on and followed her as she led him out of the ball room and onto the dark school campus. She swung her arms in a carefree manor as she walked, looking over her shoulder as she talked to Ren.

"I really hope that they have pancakes here. Oh! Ren, do you think that you can make me some pancakes if there aren't any?" He shrugged his shoulders in response; he did like making Nora breakfast but holding the school's kitchen hostage on his first day would probably give a bad impression. He would save that for later.

They entered the cafeteria to find the school's staff hard at work making breakfast. After some coercing Ren managed to convince them to let them eat early. He grabbed a bowl of porridge, some poached eggs, some breakfast pudding, and made himself a cup of green tea while Nora loaded her plate up with as many pancakes as she could carry. Which is a lot. Ren sat down at a table and quietly sipped his tea while Nora poured an entire bottle of syrup onto her mountain of pancakes.

"So I'm really hoping that we end up on a team together." She swallowed a pancake. "I mean, we've been together for so long, it would feel weird not having you around all the time." He took a bite of his eggs, and slowly chewed them before responding.

"I hope for that as well. I must admit that I would be quiet sad if we got separated." Nora brushed a stray hair over her ear and picked at her pancakes with her fork. It was somewhat dark in the room but Ren could swear that she was blushing. She slammed her hands down on the table suddenly and turned towards him.

"Ren, if we get separated I'm going to imitate a sloth so you know how to find me." Ren arched an eyebrow.

"I don't think sloths make a lot of noise." Nora blew a raspberry and made a dismissive hand gesture.

"Of course they do silly. Listen." Nora made a high pitched but very adorable squealing sound. Ren placed a hand over his mouth to stifle his giggling.

"I'll keep an ear out for that then," Ren said. Nora stuffed a pancake into her mouth.

"And what noise will you be making so I can find you? I can't leave you all alone now can I?" she asked through her mouthful of syrup and pancake. Ren put down his fork and swallowed his food before making an adorably high pitched squeal. Nora's eyes lit up. "We can be sloth buddies!" Ren smiled as Nora began a tangent about sloths and returned to his food, listening to every word she said.

Weiss ran the brush through her hair, counting every stroke. Once she reached one hundred brushes she would tie her hair into a side pony tail. She stared at her reflection as she counted, mouthing each number.

"Excuse me?" Weiss let out a yelp and looked in the direction of the voice. A gorgeous woman with a warm face stood next to her. She had a red towel draped around her body and her long, wet, crimson hair hung past her waist. Her bright green eyes looked worried as Weiss continued to stare at her. "Are you alright? If I am bothering you I can find a different sink to get dressed at." Weiss shook her head.

"I'm perfectly fine." The girl seemed unsure of Weiss' response but didn't push it. She stood at the sink next to Weiss and put the bag she was carrying with her on it. She unzipped it and pulled out her clothes and make up.

Weiss had lost count after getting startled and started brushing again, restarting the count. The girl undid her towel and set it on top of her bag before she started to get dressed. Weiss continued to count, her mind wandering as to where she had seen the girl before. At dinner? In the ballroom while on her way to her sleeping bag? Wherever she had seen her she was extremely familiar. And quiet cute. Weiss felt her cheeks grow warm at the last thought.

A wolf whistle interrupted her train of thought. She looked over at her reflection to see it looking in the girl's direction; ogling her. The reflection looked at Weiss before pointing over at the girl.

"Think she would be someone Father would approve of?" Weiss scowled; now was not the time. The reflection went back to ogling the girl "You know it is just the three of us in here. You could have some fun before you die today."

"Excuse me," the girl said. Weiss looked over at her. She had her back to Weiss and had on a brown crop top and bronze corset. The laces were undone and the girl was holding them out to her. "I'm sorry for asking but could you help tie this for me?" Weiss nodded and laced her up. The girl looked at the lacing in the mirror and nodded her head in approval. She lifted up a red sash and tied it around her waist. Weiss stared at the girl's face; and gasped as she finally realized who it was.

"You're Pyrrha Nikos!" Weiss exclaimed. Pyrrha sheepishly rubbed the back of her head.

"Yes I am. And you're Weiss Schnee correct?" Weiss nodded her head. Pyrrha smiled "I've been to some of your concerts. I must say that I am surprised to see you here; you never struck me as someone who would want to, well, fight monsters for the rest of her life." Weiss ran a hand through her hair.

"I wanted to try something new. I'm good with a sword and desk work is boring so why not become a Huntress?"

"Liar," her reflection said. Weiss ignored it and put on her best smile for Pyrrha. Pyrrha smiled back and said

"Well that sounds splendid. I hope that you make it through initiation."

"Speaking of initiation, have you put any thought as to who you want to be on a team with? Someone as magnificent as you surely needs teammates just as good." Pyrrha seemed somewhat uncomfortable with the question and hesitated to answer as she pulled on her opera length gloves.

"I'm not entirely sure. I was just going to let things play out."

"Well I for one am hoping that we end up together," Weiss said. Pyrrha responded while pulling on her socks and boots.

"I can't say that I would be completely opposed to the idea. But as I said, I prefer to let things happen naturally." Pyrrha stood up and opened up her make up bag and started applying eyeshadow. A plethora of armor pieces lay in the sink, parts of her outfit that Pyrrha had not gotten to yet. Weiss returned to brushing her hair, restarting her count again.

She stood on a snowy cliffside, a stone grave before her. She knelt down before the grave and started to caress its icy surface; she missed her so much.

"Ruby."

She knew her voice. She wanted nothing more in life than to get to hear that voice every day.

She looked up and saw her floating over the edge of the cliff, her white cloak flapping around her with the icy wind. Ruby smiled and felt tears start to run down her cheeks.

"Mom," she said. Her mother smiled at her, it was the kindest smile Ruby knew.

"You have no idea how proud you have made me, Ruby." Ruby felt her lips tremble as she stepped towards her mother.

"I try, mom. I just want to follow in your footsteps, and be as awesome as you." Ruby stood at the edge of the cliff, her arms extended for her mother to embrace her. Her mother opened her mouth, only for an earsplittingly loud buzzing to come out. Ruby gasped, lost her footing, and fell off the cliffside. She screamed as the black forest below her came hurtling towards her.

Ruby's eyes snapped open and she groaned as she was greeted with a loud buzzing noise. She checked her scroll to see that it was five in the morning; the sun wasn't even up yet.

She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes as Glynda told the students that they are to bathe, eat, and be at the air shuttle with their weapons by seven. She looked around and noticed that a few of the sleeping bags were empty; people who had gotten up early she guessed.

Ruby showered and got dressed into her combat skirt quickly before heading off to the cafeteria. She grabbed some cereal, strawberries, and coffee with a shot of cream and five cubes of sugar. She saw that Yang was in line with her friends; laughing and looking like she was having a great time. Ruby looked down and stirred her cereal around with her spoon. She heard the chair next to her scrape against the floor and she looked up. Jaune smiled at her as he took his seat. He had a bowl of Pumpkin Pete's and a pouch of apple juice.

"You okay Ruby?" he asked. Ruby rested her chin on her fist while Jaune struggled to get the straw off the pouch.

"Yeah, just fine," she replied. She heard Yang laugh and looked back at her. Jaune looked back as well and nodded his head in understanding.

"Sister problems?" Ruby shook her head.

"No, well, not really. When I got accepted into Beacon I was so excited about being able to go to my dream school with my sister. And aside from the speech and dinner she's been spending every minute with her friends. I'm just kinda bummed that we aren't hanging out more is all." Jaune nodded his head in understanding while sipping on his juice.

"Maybe if you're lucky you'll end up on a team together. Then she'll always have to spend time with you." Ruby snorted.

"Yeah right. What are the odds of that happening?"

"It could happen, you never know," he said. Ruby started to eat her cereal, not really tasting it as she chewed.

"You have any siblings?" she asked. Jaune nodded his head.

"Yeah, I have seven sisters." Ruby looked at him in astonishment. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I know a thing or two about dealing with older sisters." He laughed. "I've always wanted to go to Beacon too. My oldest sister, Dijon, she graduated top of her class about," he paused as he tried to remember "fifteen years ago. I was really little when she became a Huntress. Her and my grandfather are the reasons why I wanted to become a Huntsman."

"She sounds pretty cool. Are you the youngest?" Her cereal seemed to have a bit of flavor to it now.

"Nah, I'm the middle child; three older sisters and four younger. My youngest sister is Noir, she's about two. Oh hang on I have a picture I can show you." He pulled out his wallet and whipped out a folded up photograph. He unfolded it and handed it to her. Jaune stood smiling and holding a toddler in the middle of a group of girls of varying age. Aside from the black haired toddler they all had blonde hair and blue eyes. The oldest girl had an eyepatch and large claw marks across her face. Ruby handed the photo back and took a bite of her cereal.

"Sounds like a crazy house."

"It is!" he laughed. They chatted idly about their family and finished off their breakfast. They followed the crowd towards the air docks and stood waiting; it was six forty-five. Ruby fidgeted and grabbed the hilt of Crescent Rose for what had to be the hundredth time; the cold feel of the metal comforted her.

After what felt like an eternity she saw Ozpin and Glynda step in front of the group of students; towering over even the tallest student. Ozpin cleared his throat before speaking, his voice carrying throughout the entire crowd.

"Many of you have been training to become Hunters; to dedicate your life to combating the Grimm. How many of you, I wonder, have ever even seen a Grimm before in your life." A couple of hands, less than a dozen, in the crowd of two hundred flew up. Ozpin snorted at the sight. "Today you will be combating the Grimm, and you will receive no aid from myself or any of the school staff." A murmur ran through the crowd and Ruby grasped the hilt of her scythe. Ozpin waited for the crowd to grow quiet. "There is a very high chance that you all will die. Those of you that do not think they are willing to take that risk are welcome to leave. You will not be judged and you will be taken home where your family is waiting."

Ruby saw people start to leave; at least fifty in all. Ozpin waited to see if anyone else would leave before he resumed "I was not joking when I said that there is a high chance that you all could die; do not hesitate and show no mercy to the Grimm as they will not show you any. Glynda, if you would?" Ozpin stepped back as Glynda stepped up.

"In a moment several drop ships will be arriving. You are to enter one and await further instruction. While you are entering one of our second year teams will be handing each of you a parachute and a pair of goggles. Do not forget to grab them as you will die without them." A sense of dread began to spread amongst the crowd as four dropships roared up to the deck. They landed and lowered their pod bay doors. A fashionista with a beret stood at the entrance of one ship, a giant of a man, a fox Faunus covered in scars, and a short rabbit Faunus at the others. Ruby gulped, her mouth dry, as she walked up the gangway and grabbed her parachute and goggles. The fashionista flashed her a smile and patted her on the back as she walked past.

After a few minutes the dropship was filled and the pod bay door closed. Ruby stood in darkness before a low red light turned on and the ship took off. She felt the ship flying higher and higher into the air and heard her ears pop. A screen appeared on the ceiling and Ozpin's face came into focus.

"Your objective for this test will be to acquire a relic at a temple located in the center of the forest we will be air dropping you into. After acquiring this relic you are to exit the forest and enter a field where I will be waiting with a shuttle to take you back to the school. If you do not return by nightfall then I will send a search and rescue party, and you will be sent home. You will also have to acquire a partner on your way to the temple. These partners shall be with you for the rest of your stay here at Beacon."

"Um, Headmaster?" a girl near Ruby asked.

"Yes?"

"How do we get our partners?"

"I'm glad you asked. Your partner shall be whoever you first make eye contact with once you have landed. You should be arriving at the proper altitude momentarily. Team CFVY will show you how to operate your parachutes. I wish you all good luck." The screen disappeared and Ruby heard the fashionista start barking out instructions. She walked around showing every person how to properly use their parachute. After checking to make sure that everyone knew how to use their parachute the fashionista walked down to the pod bay door and opened it.

Wind ripped through the interior of the ship, muffling everything that Ruby heard. She put on her goggles and parachute and followed the people in front of her. She got to the door and looked down. The sight made her dizzy and she felt herself sway before a firm hand grabbed her by the shoulder. She looked over her shoulder to see the fashionista give her a warm smile before she pushed her out of the ship.

The wind ripped the scream from Ruby's throat as she free fell through the air; the wind tugging at her. She threw her legs and arms apart to slow her descent. After another moment she opened up her parachute. She saw dozens of parachutes down below her along with a few dots of people who had yet to open them.

A Nevermore swooped past Ruby, its wings mere centimeters away from her boots. The Nevermore circled around and charged at a student below her; snagging the student with its beak before biting down. The student was reduced to a red mist as the Nevermore devoured the student. Ruby squeezed her eyes shut as she flew past the Nevermore, tears polling at the bottom of her goggles. She kept them shut until she felt her legs start to hit the tree tops. Her eyes snapped open and she tried in vain to maneuver her parachute to avoid getting snagged on a tree. Branches scratched and tugged at her as she crashed into a tree.

Jaune screamed as he tried to maneuver his parachute.

"No, no, no, no!" he yelled as he crashed into a tree. A small branch impaled itself on his arm, causing Jaune to scream out in pain. His parachute fell around him, tangling itself with the branches.

Pyrrha saw the tree branches getting closer and once her feet trailed over the tops she pulled out her spear, Miló, and cut the cords of the chute. Using her shield, Akoúo, she crashed through the tree branches before landing on the ground. She spun around, her shield up and her spear at the ready. A cardinal chirped at her as it flew past. Believing that everything was safe for the moment Pyrrha lowered her weapon, ripped off her goggles and the remnants of her chute, and started hiking through the forest, keeping an ear out for Grimm. She stopped when she heard someone screaming for help from the branches above her. She looked up and saw a boy in a black hoodie tangled up in his parachute in the branches above her. After checking sure it was safe she holstered her weapons and began to climb the tree.

Jaune sniffled as he tried in vain to move his blood drenched arm. He heard rustling and unsheathed his sword; he may not be the best at fighting but there was no way he would die without putting up a fight. To his surprise a crimson haired amazon stuck her head up from the branches below. She gasped when she saw his bloody arm, and climbed onto the branch he was on.

"My name is Pyrrha, can you move your arm?" Jaune shook his head. Pyrrha grimaced and drew her spear. She untangled Jaune from his parachute and cut the cords, tossing the parachute away. She inspected his arm before pulling out a first aid kit from her pouch. "I'm going to need you to bite down on this." She said while handing Juane a small piece of leather. Jaune took it and bit down on it, looking a bit confused. "I'm very sorry for this," She said as she wrenched Jaune's arm free of the tree branch. Jaune screamed through the leather and started spasming with pain.

Ruby dangled from the tree branches, her breathing heavy. Someone was dead. That Nevermore ate that person. With shaking hands she slipped out of her harness and fell onto the ground. She curled up into a ball and started to sob. She knew that there was a chance that she could die, she had fought the Grimm before and knew the risk that ran with it, but it was entirely different to watch a Grimm kill someone. She sniffed and sat up, resting her head on her knees. If she didn't get moving she was guaranteed to die. With a shaky breath Ruby stood up, threw away her tear filled goggles and started hiking through the forest, shouting out Yang, Jaune, and Blake's name.

Weiss was busy hiking through the forest, her hand resting on her sword. She had used one of her glyphs to halt her descent before she could get ripped apart by the trees. The sight of that Nevermore devouring that poor student was repeating through her mind; what if that had been her? She could have died before her career had even gotten started. Distracted, Weiss tripped over a root sticking out of the ground and fell to the ground, getting dirt and mud all over her combat skirt. She groaned with annoyance as she stood up and tried to brush it off of her pristine white clothes; this would probably stain too. She heard a rustle in the bushes behind her and froze. She slowly turned around and screamed as a Beowolf tackled her to the ground.